Perciful Claude Byron was a Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

 born photographer at the Byron Company

Byron Company

The Byron Company is a New York City photography studio in Manhattan that was founded in 1892. It is "one of New York's pre-eminent commercial photography studios" that "documented the essence of New York City life"...

 in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. Percy was "the premier maritime photography of his generation".

Biography

His father, Joseph Byron

Joseph Byron

Joseph Byron was a Nottingham, England born photographer who founded the Byron Company in Manhattan.-Biography:...

, was born in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1847 and opened the Byron Company in Manhattan in 1892. Perciful Claude Byron was born on September 21, 1878 in England. In 1935 he was the official photographer for the maiden voyage of the SS Normandie

SS Normandie

SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.Her novel...

. Percy was born in 1878 in Nottingham, England. Since 1917 he specialized in maritime photography while he lived on Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

. In 1942 he closed the family studio because of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He then went to work for the Essex Art Engraving Company of Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

 until he retired in December 1958 because of his ill health. He died in 1959 in Cranford, New Jersey

Cranford, New Jersey

Cranford is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,625.Cranford was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden,...

.

Archive

• 22,000 photos at the Museum of the City of New York
  Museum of the City of New York
  The Museum of the City of New York is an art gallery and history museum founded in 1923 to present the history of New York City, USA and its people...
  
  between 1890 and 1942. The collection was donated by Percy Claude Byron in 1942.